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ICFS Rubiya
The ICFS Rubiya was once the most powerful Starship in the galaxy. Named after the province of Rubiya which was purged during Mega-conglomerate "occupation" in 2371, the starship was commissioned from one of Serva's first independently-running orbital foundries in 2408, and completed and launched in 2412, on the eve of the Servan Independence War. The Rubiya was the largest and most powerful warship ever built by the Dual Confederacy and during its eight-month service career with the Confederate Fleet it was easily the most powerful warship in the entire galaxy. It conducted numerous offensive operations, oftentimes acting totally alone. On two separate occasions, it defeated entire squadrons with scarcely a scratch, until its third such encounter left it defeated. Its final act was at the Battle of Cygnus, in which a flotilla of United Armada starships caught the Rubiya by surprise on its way for repairs in the Cygnus star system. Although it destroyed five of the seven starships which attacked it, and crippled another, it was finally brought down by the UAS Lepanto. The destruction of the Rubiya was a crucial point in the war, and the first major setback dealt to the Servans. The Servan fleet was immature and the Rubiya was one of its precious few warships with the capability of standing toe-to-toe with the United Armada. Nonetheless, its defeat did not swing the war in the humans' favor, in fact, some historians argue it did the exact opposite. Construction and Characteristics Measuring at 11.5 kilometers, the Rubiya was designed for maximum efficiency in short-ranged missions, having a cruising range of just over eighty light-years. As the war only took place within a few select regions, this was good enough. It was equipped with a Dexterous master-computer, which was almost on par with an Overlord-IM-S weapons system. Standard crew consisted of 17 senior officers and around 190 crew, 80 of which were technicians. The crew was divided into divisions of 10-20 each, headed by one of the officers. They were the most qualified which could be found on Serva, and busied themselves with maintaining the ship's systems while in-action. Rubiya was heavily armed, boasting eighteen high-energy lasers fitted on rotary belts. It was one of the first such warships to cover this type of weapon in a 'barbette', shielding it from the type of light weapons, such as Drone auto-cannons that might cripple the weapon's ability to fire. A secondary 'battery' of guns came in the form of one-hundred twenty medium lasers arranged in pairs of co-axial barbettes, which was followed by six missile pods (2 for Quantum Missiles and 4 for Methane Missiles along with three heavy coil-cannons and nine medium coil-cannons, and a Magnet Tug launcher. All of the hi-energy lasers were fitted with Flash Suppressors. It also had sixty gatling lasers for point-defense, and thirty multi-purpose low-energy chemical lasers. The Rubiya also carried a complement of drones, including four reconnaissance and fourteen bombers at all times. Its weapons computer could reasonably manage up to forty drones at any time, and these were always medium or heavy drones. Reserve drones were carried in the cargo bay alongside spare missiles and ammunition, and its six double-ended coil-catapults could launch up to thirty-six at a time without reloading. The Servans feared the ships' capture, and on numerous missions, deployed the warship with 1,500 Espatiers to defend it in case of boarding. To allow the ship to fill a variety of roles, it was also given an outfit of landing shuttles and atmospheric craft to allow it greater support of ground missions and the ability to conduct exploratory surveys. The Armoured Belt was not overlooked. In terms of Ablative Armour it was outfitted with corrugated silicon crystals, which were the most expensive part of its construction cost. Its Atmospheric Layer was given a Reflective Coating to ward off the occasional laser beam. Much of its Reactive Armour consisted of electro-composite layers on the belt and turret barbettes. Its Heavy Armour, by far the strongest component, consisted entirely of Super-Tensiles. Service History Legacy Category:Starships Category:Battlecruisers